John shared the magic system he used with the sect. He only presented a few basic spells and the consensus generally was that techniques were more versatile. So this part of the inheritance wasn't given much attention.
But his friends in formations saw an entirely new world! They planned to make their own spells over time and find the secrets behind mental energy.
John presented his idea of using the core from a dead core formation cultivator to make a passive energy generator.
Before, he had hid his skill deeply since he didn't have any backing or way to explain his genius. But now, he was the inheritor of a formation god! This wasn't even a title people used, it was a completely random title John thought of. But if a true immortal said it was their level of skill, then it was their level of skill!
John presented many algorithms to the sect and became very famous. There were rogue cultivators that wished to join the sect merely to receive the same education that John had. But they obviously weren't allowed in.
John had befriended the Patriarch and now could visit any level of the book pavilion for as long as he wanted.
To become a nascent soul cultivator was different in essence then becoming a core formation. There wasn't a new structure being built in the dantian. You used the existing structure, the golden core. In the middle of this core was your soul field origin. You had to condense this into a 'nascent soul'. Hence the name.
Your spiritual roots grade determined how fast you could condense Qi and unblock meridians as well as condense structures in your dantian. This is why it took so long for John to progress to foundation establishment. This was the barrier to entry for those with low grade spiritual roots.
But once you got to core formation. Your grade of spiritual roots no longer really mattered. Everyone was on an even playing field. Normally someone with low grade spiritual roots, they would never even build a foundation!
John was an outlier. He also had a fortuitous encounter and his 'limits' were shattered boosting him to core formation. That was his fake backstory at least.
In reality it was his forbidden formation made from artificial spiritual roots that let him get to where he was.
But he didn't plan on correcting anyone.
John could even openly use his custom runic library now, since its source was from that 'formation god'.
He was having a lot of fun just cultivating his soul field and helping maintain and update the sects main formation.
The administrator actually destroyed the entire formation! Letting John design it as the new admin. The old administrator became an operator and retired.
John became the person in charge of all things formation related over the next few years.
One of the benefits of being a core formation was the long lifespan!
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Someone in Qi Condensation can live for 150 years.
Foundation Establishment is 200 years.
Core Formation is a qualitive change, 500 years!
A Nascent Soul can live for a thousand years!
Spirit Severing can live for ten thousand years.
True Immortals can live anywhere from a hundred thousand, to a million years. But they can reincarnate whenever they want with their memories. Thus refreshing their soul and extending their lifespan.
This is often why they make inheritances for themselves.
It is so they have a golden finger in their next life!
This is what made John's fake inheritance so attractive. It wasn't a true immortal making an inheritance for themselves. It was an inheritance entirely made for someone else.
John was seen as extremely lucky!
But he was core formation, nobody dared to raise any issues with him. Not only did have the backing of his entire sect, core formation wasn't nothing to scoff at.
Most cultivators would never build a core in their entire life.
He was no longer and inner sect disciple.
He had become a closed disciple.
Once he became a nascent soul cultivator, he would be directly promoted to an official elder of the sect!
Closed Disciples had a personal teacher.
As for his teacher? It was the patriarch! He had taken an interest in him after looking through his history.
He had the backing of a spirit severing cultivator. This was the top of the cultivation world! Besides true immortals, none could afford to offend them.
John enjoyed the respect of everyone in the sect. It was as if he had risen to the top of the world. In reality, he had.
The only barrier in his way to completing his goal to protect himself was the barrier to becoming a nascent soul!
But he had the guidance of an expert. As well as pills and heavenly treasures provided by his teacher.
Unfortunately, becoming a nascent soul cultivator was far harder then becoming a core formation cultivator. It was related to insights from your soul field.
His teacher told him not to expect to break through for a hundred years!
On his 50th birthday... he realized that his teacher was right... the difficulty was on another level. But did he really have a century to cultivate? What if something happened to the sect? He continued to have a negative feeling about the future.
His sect was called the Amalgamation Sect. It was a combination of many sects that once fought against each other long ago.
It wasn't eternal like him. The world was constantly shifting, he was comfortable now. Any sect would be willing to take him in to work for them.
Over the last few years, he had 'digested' the inheritance and became the 2nd formation cracker in the sect.
The first one challenged him in a battle of encryption and decryption. But that person lost embarrassingly, and conceded that he was a true formation cracker.
The Patriarch then asked a personal favor from John.
He wanted him to go to the havoc sea. This was a large body of water that was full to the brim with ancient inheritances. Anybody could run into a inheritance in this sea quite easily. But the inheritances were millions of years old and didn't even use the current runic library.
The Patriarch believed John was capable enough to acquire the secrets of these inheritances.
John was interested in these ruins, because his cultivation felt like it had hit a bottleneck.
Perhaps, he could find the key to forming a nascent soul faster in these ruins.
He wasn't worried about his safety as he was immortal and could teleport away.
John wouldn't be going alone. He was heavily guarded, the sect didn't want to lose him. He was followed by a nascent soul cultivator, and ten core formation cultivators. There were no foundation establishment cultivators going on this mission.
They took the same flying artifact he had used for his recruitment campaign. He wasn't the pilot this time and just got to enjoy the process.
A core formation cultivator walked up to him as he was looking out of the window.
"You are John? I've heard so much about you! You discovered the use of mental energy... I am currently at tier 2! Can I have your autograph?"
"Sure."
John spun his fingers around and a runic signature of his was burned onto the talisman presented.
The person held it like a sacred treasure and began to discuss the mission with him.